Abstract [en]

Pattern designers on the Swedish market operate in a growing industry that makes it difficult for them to succeed and distinguish themselves amongst others. A lot of them are self-employed, which means that the pattern designers personality have a large affect on how the brand is perceived. An opportunity to enhance or promote their brand is through storytelling, which through true stories that reflect the company's culture and values, can contribute to an unique position on the market. Research showing how storytelling can be used to build a brand or as a marketing strategy exist, although no studies have been found about storytelling on the Swedish market or with the target of self-employees or pattern designers. Therefore this study intends to examine how self-employment pattern designer on the Swedish market can use storytelling to build their brand.

In the case study data has been collected from interviews with three successful and established designers on the Swedish market with focus on how they build their brands. The study explains how storytelling can be used to build a brand and theories concerning three main areas: finding the stories (brand identity), adapting the stories (positioning and the brand meaning) and using the stories (marketing and communication). Based on these theories and the collected data the material was analysed in order to answer the study's purpose.

The results show that self-employed pattern designer’s personality, background and values ​​are the main elements that define the brand identity, since a great deal of the pattern designer’s private life is linked with the brand. Stories can also be found in these parts and used as storytelling. The stories are unintended communicated through the pattern designer’s style. Their unique style is also what distinguishes them from others. Based on the style, patterns should be created and through them storytelling can be used, either from the brand’s identity or from intuition. The stories are communicated by marketing or through the patterns where the stories can speak for themselves. The marketing primarily communicates through ethos and pathos on Instagram, Facebook, websites and public relations and has different meaning based on the brand identity depending on the selected media platform.